While the Democrats and Republicans are much closer to an agreement to reopen the government and continue government borrowing than they were two weeks ago, there is still no certainty that President Obama and Senate majority leader Harry Reid can broker a deal with Republicans in the House and Senate before the next major deadline later this week.

On Thursday, the U.S. will run out of money to pay its debt obligations and continue the vital operations of government for the first time ever, unless Congress comes to a compromise on raising the legal limit on the amount of money the country can borrow. That compromise will likely also open the “nonessential” parts of government, which have been shuttered since Oct. 1, under a separate partial government shutdown.

Reid called Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday afternoon, but serious differences remain in their approach to raise the debt ceiling and open the government. McConnell believes the current funding levels set by sequestration should stay in place, which would cut $21 billion in mid-January from the $986 billion budget. Reid prefers to extend sequester funding only through mid-November. Senate Democrats, led by Budget Committee chairwoman Patty Murray — the Democrat from Washington — hope the short-term extension will allow long-term budget negotiations where they seek $1.058 trillion for 2014.

McConnell embraced a plan by Senator Susan Collins — the Republican from Maine — on Sunday, which would raise the debt limit through January and fund the government through the end of March, while delaying for two years Obamacare’s medical-device tax and require income verification in order to qualify for Obamacare subsidies. The plan is a far cry from what House Republicans asked for two weeks ago — which would have kept the government running at the same level, but also defund for a year the entire Affordable Care Act.

With polls showing steeper declines for Republicans, who kicked off the current brinkmanship by refusing to fund the government, Democratic leaders in Congress and the White House continue to believe they have a clear advantage as the negotiations enter the final days before the debt-limit deadline. Most Senate Democrats and many rank-and-file House Republicans rejected the Collins plan on Saturday.

“There is a bipartisan plan in place that has the support of Democrat and Republican Senators,” wrote McConnell in a public statement released on Sunday afternoon. “It would reopen the government, prevent a default, provide the opportunity for additional budget negotiations around Washington’s long-term debt, and maintain the commitment that Congress made to reduce Washington spending through the Budget Control Act — the law of the land. It does all this while maintaining our commitments to reduce spending, cutting an Obamacare tax and improving antifraud provisions in the law. It’s time for Democrat leaders to take ‘yes’ for an answer.”

Five of the Senate Democrats most likely to support the Collins plan — Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — as well as independent Maine Senator Angus King, countered McConnell’s charge. “We have been involved in productive, bipartisan discussions with Senator Collins and other Republican Senators, but we do not support the proposal in its current form,” they wrote in a public statement. “There are negotiations, but there is no agreement.”

While the House leadership is in close contact with McConnell’s office, it is unclear what Speaker John Boehner thinks of the Collins plan. “I believe the Senate majority leader rejected Senator Collins’ plan yesterday,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel wrote in an e-mail to TIME. “So that is moot.”

During the debt-ceiling negotiations of 2011 and the fiscal-cliff negotiations of 2012, Vice President Joe Biden and McConnell were the main players in brokering the deal. This weekend, McConnell and Reid finally began negotiations while Biden left town for Camp David. “Maybe we need to get Joe Biden out of the witness-protection program,” Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona quipped on CBS’s Face the Nation. “I hope the President will become engaged,” he added. President Obama welcomed both the House and Senate Republican conferences to the White House this week.

Reid has expressed concern about Biden’s involvement in the current round of negotiations because he believes Biden gave up too much in the 2011 and 2012 battles. Biden’s absence, and Reid’s unwavering position over the past two weeks, implies that the Democrats won’t yield much in the final negotiations. Reid, for his part, is perfectly happy filling the role as the lead Democrat negotiator.

“I’m optimistic about the prospects for a positive conclusion to the issues before this country today,” said Reid on the Senate floor on Sunday.

As a threshold matter, the LAW of Judicial Estoppel precludes the Speaker and/or
ANY member of the GOP Congress from advancing any "subjective" theory
of interpretation of the Constitution, including but not limited to the PLENARY
power and EXPRESS responsibility to RAISE REVENUE on behalf of the People. Does
anyone deny that the members of Congress have to OBEY the law? Or was the
“message” behind Sen. Cruz’ propaganda stunt that defiles all Veterans that
fought and died for the rule of law he and his anarchists seek to overturn with
no consideration at all to the People.

In this
regard, it is a farce for the Speaker (or anyone else) to even intimate that
the Congress can “shut down” the government when the Constitution’s EXPRESS
language and ENTIRE body of Supreme Court precedent interpreting same holds
that they CANNOT subvert the interests of the State without committing TREASON.

***Treason
(noun): the
crime of betraying one's country, esp. by attempting to kill the sovereign or
overthrow the government.***

Tell
me, how is the very charter and rhetoric of the Tea Party not a form of
Treason? They are literally in mid-stream of a pre-meditated plan to “defund”
the entire Federal government (and therefore materially injure the Several
States). Who can DENY that the evidence in the RECORD doesn’t already establish
this Scienter?

Just this:
there can't be "strict construction" only with regards to issues that
the GOP cares about (e.g., denying competent jurists from being installed), nor
can you (or anyone) contend that the People don’t have DISCOVERY rights to see
WHERE THE SOURCE OF FUNDS behind this damaging “shut down” originated.

Surely one cannot credibly contend that
the legal principle of "judicial estoppel" is not incumbent on
members of Congress? Namely, the GOP leaders cannot invoke "strict
construction" at one point of Obama's tenure and then flip flop at a later
point (i.e., the words “shall raise revenue” in Article I, Section 8” somehow
means “optional” [read: it is a PLENARY power]) simply because they deem it
politically advantageous or their Foreign super-PAC donors want to injure the
United States.

Conspicuously, any law school graduate
can attest that the proposed Legislative Veto will NEVER pass Constitutional
scrutiny. Period.

So why propose State Action that is void
ab initio, much less State Action that contravenes the very Tax and Spend Power
our Founding Fathers delegated to the Legislative branch?

The People are entitled to the DOJ
investigation and should call their leaders in Washington, D.C. re same to
learn the truth about what the GOP is hiding about the extent of this “shut
down” and UNCONSTITUTIONAL LEGISLATIVE VETO.

Maybe it traces back to Crawford Ranch.

Either a pre-meditated "shut down" employing a Legislative Veto is lawful, or it is unlawful.

Either Foreign money is partially or mostly behind it, or it is
not there at all.

The DOJ must investigate to get a full
disclosure of all material facts that relate to the “shut down” and establish
TRANSPARENCY.

Time for the Republican National Committee to have a talk with John Boehner. If they think he's hurting the brand, they should tell him to get off it or they won't support his bid for re-election. Apparently the only way to get to Boehner is to threaten his job.

""""""""""" "U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, is one of a small group of Republicans calling for an end to the government shutdown.

After all, Republicans have succeeded in reining in government spending, Ross wrote in an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times(the parent of PolitiFact), on Oct. 7, 2013.

"In the few years since I was elected to Congress in 2010, we have achieved huge savings and taken monumental steps. For the first time since the Korean War, total federal spending has gone down for two years in a row," Ross wrote, adding, "That is why I would support a continuing resolution that funds the government at sequestration levels for one year."""""

I like the proposal from Senator Collins with one caveat: Once the budget and the debt ceiling increased there must be a provision for Congress to seriously address and pass a realistic budget that A) reduces spending, B) reduces the debt, and C) addresses entitlement including Obamacare. Bowles/Simpson is a reasonable way forward and should be used as a guide.

“I think some of our members may have thought the default issue was a hostage you might take a chance at shooting,” he said. “Most of us didn’t think that. What we did learn is this —it’s a hostage that’s worth ransoming. And it focuses the Congress on something that must be done.”

And they are doing it again. And they will continue taking our government hostage until we face them down. We DO NOT negotiate with terrorists. And that is the role the Republican party has taken. They are playing the little rich kid who says "If you wan't do things MY way, I'm just gonna take my ball and go home." Shame on them.

Looks like Republicans gamble to crush Obamacare might result in China and other countries buying bonds in other major currencies instead of relying on the US dollar. What a mess.

Now Republican are eager to change their tune and make it about spending levels, which to any objective observer, is really comparing apple to apples. Dems want 1.05 trillion in spending and Republicans are fighting for the sequester levels at 0.98 trillion. Those two numbers aren't that far off, so Republicans did all of this for almost nothing.

What a waste. It's time American flush the Republicans out. They stink as leaders. History shows the economy is better run by Democrats.

If you're house is on fire, you don't look for the cause. You just put out the fire. Investigate later.

And for those politicians who aren't concerned about what they're doing to ignited this fiscal fire, they might want to call...

Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank warned Tuesday that congressional maneuvering over raising the debt limit could have dire consequences on the global economy and the world's poorest people. The effects of a default would be "really severe," he added. (USA TODAY)

After they hang up, if they're still not convinced, call Warren Buffet who recently said.

"Debt-Ceiling Politics Should Be Banned Like A-Bomb."

And if you're not "scared" after these calls, see if you can get an appointment to see Dr. Phil.

As an American pawn in this chess match of "what's best for the American people," I'm disgusted. And I will not forget.

On Oct 1, the House Rules Committee with a GOP majority voted to change standing House Rule XXII Clause 4, which states: “When the stage of disagreement has been reached on a bill or resolution with House or Senate amendments, a motion to dispose of any amendment shall be privileged.”

This standing rule would have allowed any representative to bring to the house floor a vote on a clean CR, stripped of amendments. The shutdown would be over by now. The rule was changed allowing only the House Majority leader (Eric Cantor now) to allow such motions.

Tell me this isn't a GOP shutdown.

I have only one question. Why the bloody hell isn't the media covering this up and down?

Keeping the government running and paying the nation's bills should
never have been bargaining chits in the first place, and the President
and Democrats shouldn't begin to negotiate over future budgets until
they're taken off the table.

Note to House. The legislative process that you have blown up also belongs to the Senate. The President is an outside player.

The Senators don't like being dissed. In fact it infuriates them. Ok, they do consider you their inferiors, truly the lesser house with tiny districts and laughably fast election cycles. Maybe that is annoying but treating them like dirt won't make you anymore popular or respected. Wake up and smell the blood, it is your own.

You know...I feel as if I'm strapped into the passenger seat of a flimsy old Chevy with a lunatic John Boehner at the wheel, he's floored the gas pedal, we're doing close to 100, and he's deliberately heading us right toward a cliff. Is there no procedure at all that can be invoked to take the power away from this man so that there are full votes on the house floor on bills that can stop what's about to happen? This whole situation is insanity. Totally nuts.

@leonvang Typical conservative...trying to steal the credit for things that they have nothing to do with...like when they kept saying that the Soviet union collapsed because Reagan told the Russians to "bring down this wall"....what losers

@leonvang So when government spending goes down- under Obama...it's because of a select group of Repubican Representatives in the House..but when the government shuts down...uhm...because Republicans feel that the government is spending too much...it's Obama's fault...Ok, got it.

@LyndaEPostal Next year, there will be mid-term elections. Vote a straight Democratic ticket. That is the ONLY message the Republicans will understand.

Keep in mind the Tea Party Republicans have a dedicated constituency that will re-elect every one of them. The only way around them and to prevent future extortion is to vote in a super majority of Democrats. It would be worth it for two years.

April 30, 2013—The biggest threat to the United States comes not from abroad but from within.

"Many of the foundations of this country's power are eroding," Haass warns. "The effect, however, is not limited to a deteriorating transportation system or jobs that go unfilled or overseas owing to a lack of qualified American workers. To the contrary, shortcomings here at home directly threaten America's ability to project power and exert influence overseas, to compete in the global marketplace, to generate the resources needed to promote the full range of US interests abroad, and to set a compelling example that will influence the thinking and behavior of others."

Besides, there is no spending problem. We could hold that spending (with yearly increases) forever. It isn't the problem. It's only when entitlements start increasing their spending that the debt becomes a problem. Even so it's a gradual rise, giving us plenty of time to deal with it AFTER the economy recovers.

If you're going to douse a fire that's going to turn around and burn the entire country next time, let the fire consume itself. Republican's are determined to burn themselves alive and don't care who they hurt - and their doing a good job of it.

@j45ashton It seems all that's changed is Boehner's neck isn't in the noose as Cantor takes the heat. Cantor's not up for re-election (?). Didn't Boehner have the right to block any vote before this reverted to Cantor?

@mantisdragon91 .. While I do not sympathize with Republicans, Democrats should not
consider themselves to be angels. Medicare and Medicaid, enacted by
Johnson with no price controls and enacted as "entitlements' are the
elephant in the room. The other elephant is our excessive defense
budget.

@AlphaJuliette History shows that Democrat administrations pay the debt run up by Republican administrations. The last Republican administration didn't even add the costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. That was added by Obama - after the fact.

1. Violation of allegiance toward one's
country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one's country by waging
war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its
enemies.

2. A betrayal of trust or confidence.

CNN has a bad habit of covering for traitors but they are not the traitors themselves. It's Republicans in Congress, the "conservative" plutocrats who fund their campaigns and the useful idiots who vote them to power, who are to blame for repeatedly bringing the country to it's knees.

So you want a straight Dem ticket, yet you believe Bowles/Simpson
and cutting entitlements is a reasonable way forward. It's this type of
centrist thinking that keeps us in quicksand. The fact is that the 99% who have
earned their SS and the Medicare and Medicaid should not be the ones who have
to feel the pain. That is Joe Klein-like thinking. If we didn't have a
campaign system where pols represent only those that bank roll them, we could
then get something done. Things such as raise the taxes on the 1%, eliminate
off shore tax sheltering, closing un-needed subsidies to oil&gas and
agriculture, etc. etc. There is a boatload of money in this country that is
held by a small group to their benefit, and we hardly have any Dem in DC who
fights regularly for the 99%, other than Bernie Sanders and a few members of
the House

@jmac@j45ashton Boehner could only block up to a point. The standing rule said: “When the stage of disagreement has been reached on a bill or resolution with House or Senate amendments" , then a voite could be introduced from the floor by anyone.

Well, they quickly reached that state of disagreement on amendments. So the long standing rule would have allowed a vote on a clean bill.

@rohit57@mantisdragon91 The conversation about medicare and medicaid starts with how to reduce healthcare costs in general. Only after you do that, does it make sense to talk about ways to reduce spending on those 2 specifically.

@rohit57@mantisdragon91 Granted rohit, Medicare, Medicaid and the defense budget require discussion, I just fail to see the value in "discussing" any of these subjects with Tea Party members, when they don't want any of those three touched right now (maybe in 10 years after they've "gotten what they paid for"), yet are the ones screaming the loudest about "Obama's excess spending".

@AlphaJuliette@tommyudoThe debt isn't a problem for the next few years. The focus now should be on unemployment. It is a problem now, and will only make the debt worse the longer it drags on.

It's stupid to ignore and/or make worse (if spending cuts happen) the current crises in favor of something that won't happen for a decade or more (according to the CBO).

We need at least a year or 2 of increased spending to get us out of the rut we are in, even if it means increasing the deficit. That isn't to say we shouldn't be smart with the spending and/or shouldn't cut or raise taxes where it makes sense. We should, for example, invest in infrastructure, education, etc. Basically anything that will make us more competitive and/or we will need to spend in the near future anyways.

That isn't to say we can't look at decreasing spending in the future, but that shouldn't be the focus (like it is currently). It isn't causing nearly the harm unemployment is, and there isn't definitive evidence it will cause a problem for the foreseeable future.

@tommyudo I'm suggesting voting a straight Dem ticket to by-pass the Tea Party reps who are going to be re-elected (as I said) so they can't hold the nation hostage any more. While I'm not comfortable with a SuperMajority in Congress it would be worth it for just two years when we can balance the ticket.

As far as a budget plan going forward, yes! Bowles/Simpson needs to be looked at very carefully and used as a guide. These guys have been studying our fiscal situation for years and have the best ideas. Members of Congress are enacting knee-jerk "solutions" in comparison. And, EVERYTHING must be on the table including entitlements, tax reform, spending cuts and tax increases. But, no doubt, there will be grandfather provisions to protect those who are about to need those entitlement benefits.